Prophylatic treatment of migraine and migraine clinical variants with topiramate: an update

Review

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Authors: Sergio Carmona, Osvaldo Bruera

Published Date August 2009 Volume 2009:5 Pages 661 - 669

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/TCRM.S3427

Sergio Carmona¹, Osvaldo Bruera^1,2

¹Department of Neuro-otology and Pain and Headache, Instituto de Neurociencias de Buenos Aires INEBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina; ²Department of Pain and Headache, Fundación Favaloro, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract: Migraine and migraine variants are common, chronic and incapacitating neurovascular disorders with a high impact on health resources. There is an extensive evidence base provided by double-blind, placebo-controlled trials showing that topiramate is a safe, effective and well tolerated drug in the management of migraine and its variants, being especially promising in the management of migraine-vertigo syndrome. Models both in the US and the UK have also shown that it offers a cost benefit when direct and indirect costs are evaluated, by reducing work loss, improving quality of life and reducing the use of increasingly scarce health resources.

Keywords: migraine, migraine prophylaxis, topiramate, quality of life, basilar migraine, cluster headache, vestibular migraine